In rolling bearing technology, it is generally known that shafts are usually supported at two bearing points formed as a fixed bearing and as a movable bearing, because this allows production tolerances and changes in length caused by thermal elongation between the shaft and the housing to be equalized, without additional deformation forces acting on the bearing. Here, the axially stationary fixed bearing absorbs, in addition to its radial load component, also all axial forces that occur in both directions, while the movable bearing transfers only its radial load component, because it is not fixed in the axial direction and therefore also cannot absorb any axial forces. The equalization of the production tolerances and thermal elongations is thus realized exclusively by means of the movable bearing, in particular, at the seating position of the inner ring or in the bearing itself.
A class-forming radial rolling element bearing for a typical movable bearing for a shaft subjected to high radial loads is previously known, for example, from DE 2 931 348 A1. This movable bearing constructed as a radial cylindrical rolling element bearing is made essentially from a smooth cylindrical outer ring inserted into a housing and is formed by a plurality of rolling bodies that are inserted into a bearing cage and held by this cage at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The rolling bodies constructed as cylindrical rollers here roll on an outer raceway formed by the inner lateral surface of the outer ring and on an inner raceway that is formed by the outer later surface of a smooth cylindrical inner ring slid onto the shaft and is formed in other applications also by the outer lateral surface of the shaft itself. For the axial guidance of the rolling element cage, on the axial sides of the outer ring there are also two separate flanged disks that are fixed against axial displacement together with the outer ring by, on one side, a circlip engaging in a peripheral groove in the housing and, on the other side, retaining elements formed as an adjustable locking ring.
A disadvantage in the radial rolling element bearing described above, however, is that the separate flanged disks must be delivered separately by the bearing manufacturer and thus cause relatively high installation effort for the bearing user. In addition, the axial securing of the outer ring and the flanged disks contacting this ring is done by two additional separate parts that must also be delivered by the bearing manufacturer and stored separately for high bearing quantities in addition to the flanged disks supplied separately. The already high effort for the installation of such radial rolling element bearings is thus increased even more by labor-intensive removal of the securing elements from storage and the necessary use of separate installation tools for these securing elements and therefore has proven extremely uneconomical.